Don't toss those homeschool papers just yet.

One of the coolest things about homeschool blogs and email groups and homeschool groups is that you get to learn from the mistakes of others.  So here's what I learned this week.

When you homeschool, you need to hold on to your homeschoolers paperwork i.e. homeschool portfolio with samples of your children's work.  Test results and every piece of paper that was required from every school for admission.  If you have space, just hold onto all four years of homeschool documentation until they have their college diploma in hand.  In addition, hold on to all correspondence from the colleges they are admitted to, especially  any
acceptance info.  Keep a copy of everything sent to the school.  Finally, keep the handbook from the year your child is admitted.  Print admission info from the website including requirements for acceptance.  Make sure you have documented the admission process well.

Why? Because some colleges (even homeschool friendly ones) try to impose new rules on existing students. So, say your child was accepted into college in 2011, but in 2012 admission requirements became more stringent.  Well, according to the experiences of others, they may go back into your child's record and try to apply those rules to him or her. In one instance, a state college (go figure) wanted a Junior to go back and take admission tests that weren't required when they were admitted, and also wants to apply college classes they took as a freshman to their highschool portfolio so it looks like they met the more stringent standards. To make matters worse, they want the student to take more classes at the college to replace those classes they are now applying to pre-college work.


While this sounds like one of those fluke incidents, other homeschoolers are reporting that colleges have made strange requests that have caused them to dig through their archives to back up old admissions info.  They have also had to prove that things being required now were not required when the child was admitted to the college so it should not apply to them.

With that said, I am keeping the full homeschool portfolios, the mini homeschool portfolio used for admission, transcripts, all acceptance letters, and I will even hold curriculum used (the size of one legal box) until he has that diploma.  Then he can dispose of this info or keep it if he wishes.  In addition, he and I are using an online storage system (called drop-box)  and we have loaded the current handbook and admission requirements.  We will be keeping all college records in this online file to give us easy access and to make it easy to discuss info with the college if need be.

All of this info may also be necessary should he decide to transfer schools.


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